Machine for erecting cartons



April 7, 1970 D. H. HIRASUNA 3,504,596

MACHINE FOR ERDCTING CARTONS Filed Feb. 5, 1968 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 April7, 1970 Filed Feb. 5. 1968 D. H. HIRASUNA MACHINE FOR ERECTING CARTONS 5Sheets-Sheet 2 2 n. 3 l2 r April 7, 1970 D. H. HIRASUNA MACHINE FORERECTING CARTONS 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Feb. 5. 1968 wvs ADT o Dale. 94.Q-(iradU Q w/ g/vznm mm @W @QT' QIQEYJ April 1970 D. H. HIRASUNA3,504,596

MACHINE FOR ERECTING CARTONS Filed Feb. 5, 1968 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 QVEMTOApril 7, 1970 D. H. HIRASUNA MACHINE FOR ERECTING CARTONS 5 Sheets-Sheet5 Filed Feb. 5, 1968 MVENTOK/ ,IDale Q4. )-Mro4 \;un/q

QRTTORNEYf United States Patent US. C]. 93-53 9 Claims ABSTRACT OF THEDISCLOSURE Flattened cartons are opened into erected positions by a setup and control unit as the cartons are drawn downwardly from a magazineinto a transfer station by a transfer device. Thereafter, the cartonsare shoved laterally out of the transfer station and onto a conveyor bya pusher and, as an incident to such shoving, are shifted into andlatched in overcenter positions by the set up unit in order thatcomplete control of the cartons may be maintained without danger of thecartons reassuming their flattened conditions during their transfer tothe conveyor. A drive mechanism reciprocates the transfer device up anddown between the transfer station and the magazine and operates with adifferential action to cause the transfer device to dwell for arelatively long interval just below the cartons in the transfer stationthereby to eliminate the need for precisely controlling the time ofrelease of the cartons from the transfer device.

Background of the invention This invention relates to a machine forerecting collapsed cartons while transferring the cartons to a conveyorfrom a stack in a magazine. Such cartons usually are rectangular whenerected and comprise a sheet of paperboard folded and glued to form afirst pair of opposing panels connected by a second pair of opposingpanels, the panels being hingedly joined together along fold linesweakened as by scoring the paperboard. The cartons are stored in aflattened condition in the magazine and are removed one at a time fromone end of the magazine by a transfer device which grips the exposedpanel of the terminal carton in the stack and pulls the carton from themagazine into a transfer station. Thereafter, the cartons are shovedlaterally out of the transfer station, usually by a pusher, and aredelivered to the conveyor in substantially erected positions for fillingwith a product to be packaged.

Summary of the invention The present invention aims primarily to erectand control the cartons during their transfer from the magazine to theconveyor with a new and improved set up unit which is significantlysimpler in construction and operation than prior devices of the samegeneral type and yet which, at the same time, maintains positive andcontinuous control over the cartons to prevent the cartons fromreassumiug their flattened positions after being erected and beforebeing delivered to the conveyor. More specifically, the set up unitcooperates with the transfer device to open each flattened carton intoat least a partially erected position as an incident to drawing of thecarton from the magazine, automatically holds the carton in the erectedposition in the transfer station, and thereafter coacts with the pusherto shift and latch the carton in an overcenter condition during transferof the carton to the conveyor thereby to insure against re-flattening ofthe carton while such transfer is being completed. Advantageously, theset up unit of the preferred embodiment utilizes the motions of thetransfer device and the pusher to erect,

shift and latch the cartons thus enabling simpl fied construction of theunit with no moving parts.

The invention also resides in the novel construction and coaction of thepusher and the set up unit to ma ntain complete control over the cartonsduring the transfer.

Another important object of the invention is to pro vide a new andrelatively simple transfer device which eliminates the need forprecisely timing the release of the cartons from the transfer device inthe transfer station and which draws the cartons into the transferstation with smoother motion and with greater repeatability than hasbeen possible heretofore.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent as the followingdescription proceeds when taken in conjunction with the accompanyingdrawings.

Brief description of the drawings FIG. 1 is a perspective view of aflattened carton and of parts of the magazine of a new and improvedcarton erecting machine embodying the advantageous features of thepresent invention.

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary front elevation of the machine.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary cross-section taken substantiallyalong the line 33 of FIG, 2 and showing parts in moved positions.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of an erected carton.

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary cross section taken substantially along the line5-5 of FIG. 3.

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary sectional view taken in a vertical plane throughthe transfer station and showing the delivery of a carton from themagazine to the transfer station.

FIG. 7 is a view similar to FIG. 6 and showing the carton being shiftedout of the transfer station.

FIG. 8 is a view similar to FIG. 7 and showing the carton beingdelivered to the conveyor.

FIG. 9 is an enlarged fragmentary cross-section taken substantiallyalong the line 9-9 of FIG. 2 and showing a novel drive mechanism for thetransfer device.

FIGS. 10 and 11 are fragmentary perspective views illustratingsuccessive positions of the transfer device and the drive mechanismduring removal of a carton from the magazine.

FIGS. 12 and 13 are diagrammatic illustrations of the principles ofoperation of the drive mechanism and the transfer device,

Description of the preferred embodiment As shown in the drawings forpurposes of illustration, the invention is embodied in a packagingmachine (FIG. 2) in which cartons 10 stored in flattened condition in amagazine 11 are removed one at a time from the magazine and transferredto a continuously moving carrier or conveyor 12, the cartons beingopened during this transfer to receive a product to be packaged. On theconveyor, the cartons pass through successive stations to be filled,glued, and closed in a manner well known to those of ordinary skill inthe art.

Each of the cartons 10 shown herein comprises rectangular top and bottompanels 13 and 14 (see FIG. 4) hingedly connected along opposite sidemargins by two narrow rectangular side panels 15 and 16. To close theopen ends of the carton, top and bottom flaps 17 and 18 and side flaps19 and 20 projecting outwardly at each end of the panels are foldedacross the open ends. Usually, such cartons are made of a single foldedsheet of suitable material such as paperboard which is slit on oppositesides to form the flaps and is scored or otherwise weakened along thefold lines. The free ends of the sheet are glued together along a seam21.

Preferably, the various mechanisms for opening, advancing, filling, andclosing the cartons 10 are mounted on an elongated horizontal frame 22(FIG. 2) and are operated in timed relation with each other by a single,continuously rotating horizontal cycle shaft 23 (FIG. 5) journaled onthe frame and generally paralleling the path of the opened cartons. Theconveyor 12 is in the form of a pair of endless chains disposed inparallel vertical planes and wound around two horizontally spaced pairsof sprocket wheels 24 (FIGS. 2 and 5) with the upper horizontal runs ofthe chains defining the path of the cartons. Spaced apart along andsecured to the chains are a plurality of arms 25 arranged in pairs whichproject upwardly between two fixed cartons supporting rails 26 (FIGS. 3,5 and 6) when on the horizontal runs to form the leading and trailingwalls of a plurality of pockets along the conveyor, the distance betweenthe adjacent pairs of arms being substantially equal to the width of thecartons. Thus, each carton is held in a pocket between the leading sidesof one pair of arms and the trailing sides of the preceding pair so thatthe arms slide the cartons along the rails and through the machine whileholding them evenly spaced to positions each of the cartons properly atthe various operating stations.

Preparatory to being transferred to the conveyor 12, the cartons 10 arestored in a stack in the magazine 11 in flattened or collapsedcondition, this is, with the top and bottom panels 13 and 14 lying sideby side and offset laterally from each other by the width of one of theside panels and with the side panels 15 and 16 lying fiat against thetop and bottom panels, respectively. In the present instance, themagazine 11 comprises an upright open frame including two bars 29 and 30(FIGS. 1 and 2) of right angle cross-section opening inwardly and spacedapart to receive the corners of the stack on one side, the left side asviewed in FIGS. 1 and 2, and with an upwardly inclined plate 31 disposedon the opposite side of the stack with its inner surface bearing againstthe right-hand side of the stack. The bars and the plate are supportedby a box-like framework 33 connected to a standard 34 projectingupwardly from the frame 22 and are adjustable relative to one antoher toenable changing over of the magazine to accommodate cartons of differentsizes, A positioning finger 35 fastened to the standard presses againstthe left-hand side of the stack to shift the lower cartons intoengagement with the plate 31.

The cartons 10 are supported releasably in the magazine 11 by suitablemeans which herein comprise three fingers 36 and a rod 37 mounted at thelower end of the magazine and projecting a short distance in under thebottom carton in the stack. Two of the fingers are sup ported adjacentthe front and rear side of the stack on the lower ends of upright rods39 which are adjustable vertically on the framework 33 to permitchanging of the elevation fingers. The remaining finger 36 is supportedfor vertical adjustment on the standard 34 along the left side of thestack, and the rod 37 is disposed at the lower edge of the inclinedplate 31 along the right side of the stack. The cartons are pulled oneby one from the stack through the open bottom of the magazine and bendupwardly a slight distance during removal (see FIG. 6) to pass aroundthe supporting fingers 36 and the rod 37.

To efiect the transfer of cartons 10 from the magazine 11 to theconveyor 12, a transfer mechanism includes a transfer device 40 forpulling the cartons in a downward path from the magazine into a transferstation 41 (FIGS. 1 and 7) together with a pusher 43 for thereaftershoving the cartons along a lateral path out of the transfer station andonto the conveyor. Herein, the transfer device 40 moves up and downbeneath the magazine and toward and away from the bottom carton thereinto em gage the lower or exposed panel 14 of the bottom carton, grip thelatter, and pull the carton past the fingers 36 and the rod 37 and intothe transfer station 41 which is located below the magazine inhorizontal alinement with the upper run of the conveyor.

More specifically, the transfer device 40 takes the form of fourupwardly opening suction cups 44 carried on the upper ends of uprighttubular rods 45 which are fastened at their lower ends to L-shaped arms46 (FIGS. 2 and 5). The latter, in turn, are connected to a singleforwardly projecting arm 47 fastened to a reciprocating car 49 mountedfor up and down sliding on a pair of vertical guides 50 anchored to theframe 22. As the car is reciprocated up and down on the guides, thesuction cups 44 first are raised into engagement with the bottom of thestack (see FIG. 6) while suction is applied to the cups by a vacuum pump(not shown) through conduits 51 (FIG. 3) connected to the cups. The cupsthen are lowered to pull the gripped carton downwardly into the transferstation 41 and into a releasing position on the carton supporting rails26, such rails projecting upstream of the conveyor 12 and into thetransfer station. When the carton is deposited on the rails, the suctionis released from the cups to leave the carton resting in the transferstation. Application and release of the suction to the cups in timedrelation with their up and down movement is governed by an electricallyactuated valve (not shown) sequentially establishing and interruptingcommunication between the cups and the vacuum pump under the control ofa limit switch 53 (FIG. 5) which is actuated by a cam 54 on the cycleshaft 23.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 5, the pusher 43 herein comprises twotransversely spaced blocks 55 which are shifted through a forward stroketoward the conveyor 12 each time a carton 10 is delivered into thetransfer station 41, the blocks first engaging the rear or left side ofsuch carton and thereafter shoving the carton laterally out of thetransfer station along the support rails 26. The blocks then arereturned through a rearward stroke and are retracted out of the transferstation to clear the next carton drawn downwardly from the magazine 11by the transfer device 40.

Each pusher block 55 is carried on a mounting arm 56 (FIG. 5) projectingforwardly from a transversely extending bar 57 which is fastened at oneend to a car 59. The latter is mounted slidably on a pair of parallelguides 60 fastened to the frame 22 and is reciprocated back and forthalong the guides to shift the pusher blocks through their forward andreturn strokes. To reciprocate the car, a pitman 61 is connected at oneend to one side of the car and is connected at its other end to a crankpin 63 which is eccentrically mounted on a drive wheel 64 so as to shiftthe car back and forth as the wheel is rotated. A shaft 65 journaled inthe frame is connected to rotate the wheel and is driven by the cycleshaft 23 through gearing 66 coupling the two shafts. Thus, successivecartons in the magazine 11 are drawn downwardly into the transferstation 41 by the transfer device 40 and then are shifted laterally bythe pusher 43 along the support rails 26 to the conveyor 12 for fillingand closing.

In accordance with one spaced aspect of the present invention, theflattened cartons 10 are erected automatically as an incident to beingdrawn from the magazine 11 into the transfer station 41, are shiftedfrom erected to overcenter positions in the transfer station to preventsubsequent re-fiattening of the panels, and then are latched in theovercenter positions while being transferred to the conveyor 12 so thatcomplete control over the cartons may be maintained at all times duringsuch transfer. To these ends, a novel and simplified set up and controlunit 67 is mounted in the transfer station and is disposed in both thedownward and lateral paths of the cartons to cam the flattened cartonsinto erect positions as the car tons are drawn downwardly into thetransfer station by the transfer device 4!} and then to earn and holdthe cartons in controlled overcenter conditions as the cartons areshowed laterally out of the transfer station by the pusher 43.

In the present instance, the set up unit 67 is located adjacent theright hand or downstream side of the transfer station 41 and includes apair of upright and transversely spaced legs 69 (FIGS. 1 and 2)depending from the framework 33 and fastened for vertical adjustmentrelative to the framework. Formed integrally with the lower end of eachleg 69 is a shoe 70 (FIGS. 2 and 6) underlying the right-hand side ofthe cartons 10 and projecting into the downward path followed by thecartons as the latter are pulled from the magazine, the shoes beingspaced transversely from one another a distance less than the length ofthe top and bottom panels 13 and 14 and being located beneath the lowerpanel of the bottom carton in the stack. The carton supporting rod 37 ofthe magazine 11 spans the two shoes and is fastened near the junction ofthe shoes with the legs.

As shown most clearly in FIG. 6, the upper edge of each shoe 70 isinclined downwardly toward the transfer station 41 with a gradual slopeand defines a cam surface 71 engageable with the front or leading sidepanel of each carton 10 as the latter is drawn downwardly from thestack. Because of the sloping cam surfaces, the horizontal spacingbetween the angle bars 29 and 30 and the shoes gradually decreases in adownward direction, the spacing at the upper end portions of thesurfaces being just greater than the flattened width of the cartons andthe preferred spacing at the lower end portions of the surfaces beingapproximately equal to the erected width of the cartons. As a result,when the bottom panel 14 of each carton is gripped by the cups 44 andthe carton moved downwardly, the inclined cam surfaces 71 engage therighthand carton edge and the side panel 15 to cam the top panel 13 tothe left relative to the bottom panel 14 and thereby shift the cartontoward its erected position. Such camming is continued until the cartonis fully erected and is moved past the lower end portions of the camsurfaces and onto the supporting rails 26 as shown in FIG. 6. In thisposition, the angle between adjacent panels preferabiy is equal to 90degrees although complete erection of the carton in the transfer stationis not absolutely essential in that the carton could be delivered intothe station in only a partially erected position with the angle betweenthe panels being somewhat less than a right angle.

Upon reaching the transfer station 41, each carton 10 is heldmomentarily in its erected position to prevent the carton fromcollapsing and reassuming its original flattened position by foldingfrom left to right about the weakened score lines joining the panels.For this purpose, the lower end of each shoe 70 is formed with adownwardly rounded toe 73 (FIG. 6) defining a positive stop whichpreferably is in the form of a shallow notch 74 located between the topand bottom of the toe. Each notch is spaced above the guide rails 26 andthe bottom panel of a carton in the transfer station a distance equal tothe erected height of the carton. Thus, the upper leading corner or edgeof the carton between the panels 13 and 15 lodges in the notches as anincident to the carton being placed on the rails thereby positivelypreventing the top panel 13 from shifting to the right relative to thebottom panel 14 and resisting the tendency of the carton to assume itsoriginally flattened position.

In addition to camming and holding each carton 10 in an erect positionin the transfer station 41, the shoes 70 coact with the pusher 43 toshift the carton into and latch the carton in an overcenter conditionduring transfer of the carton to the conveyor 12 so that flattening ofthe panels is prevented and control of the carton is maintained whilesuch transfer is being effected. As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the pusherblocks 55 start through their forward stroke and engage the rear ortrailing side panel 16 of the carton immediately after the latter hasbeen placed on the support rails 26. During the initial engagement ofthe carton by the pusher blocks, the upper leading edge of the carton ispressed into the notches 74 to resist movement of the upper panel 13while the lower panel 14 continues to be shifted by the pusher. Theupper panel thus in effect is cammed rearwardly or to the left relativeto the lower panel, and the carton is shifted overcenter past itserected position toward a reversely flattened position which is justopposite of the originally flattened position of the carton. T ofacilitate overcenter shifting of the carton, each pusher block 55 isformed with a forwardly opening mouth defined by upper and lower jaws 75and 76 (FIG. 7) spaced vertically from each other a distance justslightly greater than the erected height of the carton. During theforward stroke of the pusher blocks, each lower jaw 76 slips under thecarton until the lower rear carton engages an abutment formed by acorner 77 located at the intersection of the upper surface of the lowerjaw with a sloping rear surface 79 defining the rear of the mouth andinclined downwardly from the upper jaw. Thereafter, the lower panel ofthe carton is shoved forwardly by the corners 77 while the upper panelis held stationary by virtue of the upper forward carton edge beinglocated in the notches 74 thereby causing overcenter shifting of thecarton during the forward stroke of the pusher blocks. The upper jaws 75overhang the upper panel 13 and prevent the carton from rising upwardlyoff of the lower jaws as the panels are shifted relative to each other.Preferably, the lower surfaces of the upper jaws are inclined downwardlyand rearwardly as indicated at 80 in FIG. 7 in order to hold the upperpanel continuously as the height of the carton is decreased by theovercenter shifting.

After the carton 10 has been shifted overcenter approximately 30 degreesfrom its erect position, the rear panel 16 seats flush against theinclined surfaces 79 between the jaws 75 and 76, and the upper rear edgeof the carton moves into engagement with an abutment formed by thecorner 81 between the inclined surface 79 and the lower surface 80 ofeach upper jaw. At the same time, the effective height of the carton orthe distance between the panels 13 and 14 is reduced sufiiciently toallow the upper forward carton edge to move downwardly from the notches74 and to slip beneath the bottoms of the toes 73 on the shoes 70. Uponslipping beneath the toes 73, the carton is free to slide along thesupport rails 26 as the pusher 43 continues its forward stroke. Thevertical spacing x (FIG. 7) between the supporting rails and the lowersurface 83 of each toe is less than the full erected height of thecarton and thus the top and bottom panels 13 and 14 are squeezedtogether between the toes and the support rails. As a result, the cartonis shoved out of the transfer station 41 while being latched in itsovercenter condition by the toes, the rails and the pusher. Completecontrol of the carton thus is maintained during the transfer since thenatural stiffness of the paperboard prevents the carton from flatteningre versely from its overcenter position and since the toes resist thenatural tendency of the carton to return to its erected position andthen flatten forwardly.

As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the carbon slides beneath the shoes 70 andalong the support rails 26 until it is picked up by one pair of trailingarms 25 of the conveyor 12. The arms engage the trailing edge of thecarton just as the carton recedes from beneath the toes 73 and just asthe arms turn around the upper conveyor sprocket 24. Thus, the carton ispushed along the rails by the trailing arms and, when the latter moveonto the upper horizontal run of the conveyor, the spacing betweensuccessive pairs of arms becomes equal to the width of the carton tohold the same in a fully erected position (see FIG. 2) during packagingof the product. Preferably, the lower surface or sole 84 of each shoe 70is gradually inclined upwardly and forwardly from the toe to a heightgreater than the erected height of the carton in order to establishclearance allowing the carton to start returning to its erected positionjust an instant before being picked up by the conveyor arms.

It will be apparent from the foregoing that the set up and control unit67 utilizes the motions imparted to the cartons 10 by the transferdevice 40 and the pusher 43 to cam the cartons to their erected andovercenter positions. Thus, the unit itself requires no moving parts andis of extremely simple construction. At the same time, the unitmaintains positive control over the cartons during the transfer evenwhen the machine is operating at rates as high as O cartons per minute.

In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the transfer deviceis shifted up and down between the transfer station 41 and the magazine11 by a new and improved drive mechanism (FIG. 9) which causes thetransfer device to dwell for a relatively long interval at the end ofits downward stroke with the suction cups 44 disposed substantially atthe level of the bottom of the carton 10 in the transfer station so thatthe carton may be placed positively on the support rails 26 without needof precisely timing the release of the suction from the cups. The drivemechanism preferably operates with a differential action to effect thedwell in the motion of the cups while drawing the cartons into thetransfer station with greater repeatability and smoother motion thanotherwise would be the case if the transfer device were shifted with acam and spring arrangement.

Basically, the drive mechanism 85 is a form of a planetary differentialhaving two input elements 86 and 87 (FIG. 9) driving an output element89 which is connected to the suction cups 44, the output element and thecups being moved in accordance with the resultant motion of the twoinput elements. The input element 86 comprises a rotatable crank coupledto the output element 89 which herein is a pitman connected to the car49 to shift the latter up and down along the guides 50' and move thesuction cups 44 between the transfer station 41 and the magazine 11 inresponse to rotation of the crank and in timed relation with thereciprocation of the pusher 43 into and out of the transfer station. Theharmonic or sinusoidal motion normally produced by the crank modified,however, by the input element 87 in such a manner that the cups dwell orsubstantially dwell at the end of their downward stroke for aconsiderably longer interval than would occur with pure harmonic motion,the interval being sufliciently long to delay the upward return of thecups until the pusher has shoved the newly erected carton out of thetransfer station and out of the path of the cups. With the dwell periodof the cups lengthened, the cups do not have to travel downwardly aconsiderable distance below the carton to gain the necessary time forthe carton to be shoved out of the transfer station and, as a result,the cups can be stopped in a release position (see FIG. 7) substantiallylevel with the bottom of the carton and the upper surfaces of thesupport rails 26 and with little or no downward overtravel. Since thecups dwell for a relatively long period of time adjacent the supportrails, the suction can be held on the cups until after the carton hasbeen drawn onto the rails by the cups and does not have to be releasedat a precisely accurate time as would be required to permit the cups totravel below the rails. Accordingly, with the present arrangement, thecarton may be placed positively on the rails by the cups to insureagainst uncontrolled free flight of the carton and yet extremely precisecontrol of the time of the release of the suction is unnecessary toeffect such placement.

More specifically, the pitman 89 extends generally vertically beneaththe car 49 with its upper end connected pivotally to a pin 90 (FIG. 3)projecting outwardly from one side of the car and with its lower endconnected to the crank 86 by a rotatable shaft 91 (FIG. 9) which isjournaled intermediate its ends by a bearing 92 located in one'endportion of the crank. A key 93 fastens the crank for rotation with ahorizontal drive shaft 94 which is journaled to turn about its own axisa by a housing 95 depending from the main frame 22. Power for rotatingthe crank 86 is transmitted to the shaft 94 from the pusher drive shaft65 by a chain 96 (FIGS. 2 and 5) which is trained around sprockets '97and 99 fast on the shaft 65 8 and on a shaft 94a connected to the shaft94. An idler sprocket 100 (FIG. 5) pivoted on the frame engages thechain to keep the latter in a tight condition.

Accordingly, the shaft 94 is rotated in synchronism with the shaft 65and rotates the crank 86 which acts through the pitman 89 to reciprocatethe car 49 up and down on the guides 50 and thereby move the suctioncups 44 toward and away from the magazine 11. The movement of the cupsthus occurs in timed relation with respect to the back and forthreciprocation of the pusher 43, the cups in this instance movingupwardly just after the pusher has shoved a carton laterally from thetransfer station 41 and moving downwardly to place a succeeding cartonin the transfer station before the next forward stroke of the pusher.

In carrying out the present invention, the harmonic motion whichnormally would be undertaken by the upper end of the pitrnan 89 as aresult of being driven by the crank 86 is modified in order to cause thesuction cups 44 to dwell for a relative long interval at the end oftheir downstroke, such modification of the motion being effected by thesecond input element 87 of the drive mechanism 85. For this purpose, thesecond input element 87 comprises a second crank in the form of arotatable eccentric connected to the pitman and operable to cancel outthe motion transmitted to the pitman by the crank during the time thelatter approaches, crosses and leaves its bottom dead center position.As shown most clearly in FIGS. 9 and 10, the eccentric 87 is simply acircular disc which is journaled rotatably by a bushing 101 within around opening formed in a collar 103 to which the lower end of thepitman is fastened. The eccentric is mounted on one end portion of theshaft 91 and is coupled for rotation with the shaft by a radial drivepin 104, the axis 1) of the shaft 91 being offset radially from thegeometric axis of true center c of the eccentric. Movement of the pitmanaxially of the eccentric is prevented by retaining plates 105 looselyabutting the sides of the collar and fastened to the sides of theeccentric by screws 106 which are alined horizontally with the center 0of the eccentric.

To rotate the eccentric 87, a planet gear 107 (FIGS. 9 and 10) iscarried on the opposite end portion of the shaft 91 and is coupled toturn the latter through a radial drive pin 109. The planet gear mesheswith a one-to-one ratio with a stationary sun gear 110 looselytelescoped over and rotatable on the shaft 94 and anchored to thehousing 95 by screws 111 extending through the sun gear and threadedinto the housing. As the crank 86 is rotated, the planet gear walksaround the sun gear about the axis a of the shaft 94 and, at the sametime revolves about its own axis 12 to cause turning of the shaft 91 andthe eccentric through one full revolution for each onehalf revolution ofthe crank.

As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10 and diagrammatically in FIG. 12, theeccentric 87 is positioned at top dead center within the collar 103 atthe same time the crank 86 is positioned at its top dead center. At thistime, the suction cups 44 are at the uppermost point in their stroke andare in engagement with the lower carton 10 in the magazine 11. As thecrank is rotated clockwise by the shaft 94 from the position shown inFIG. 10 to that shown in FIG. 11, the cups start moving downwardly anddraw the carton toward the transfer station 41. In turning through eachone-fourth revolution, the crank 86, acting alone and without theeccentric, would cause shifting of the suction cups through a stroke d(FIG. 9) equal in length to the distance between the axes a and b of theshafts 94 and 91. During the first one-fourth revolution of the crankfrom to dead center, however, the eccentric 87 is turned clockwisethrough one-half revolution from top dead center to bottom dead centeras a result of the planet gear 107 rolling around the sun gear 110 aboutthe axis a and revolving about its own axis 11. The eccentric itselfthus acts to move the cups downwardly through a stroke equal in lengthto twice the distance e between the axis b and the center of theeccentric. Accordingly, the motions of the crank and the eccentric areadded or combined during the first onefourth revolution of the crankthereby shifting the cups downwardly through a longer stroke f (equal inlength to the distances d+2e) and with greater velocity than wouldresult from the crank acting alone with pure harmonic motion. Themotions undertaken by the driving elements during rotation of the crankare illustrated diagrammatically in FIG. 12 with the curve It indicatingthe path followed by the center 0 of the eccentric. The curve It (FIG.13) indicates the path actually followed by the suction cups 44, and thecurve k represents the path which the cups would follow if reciprocatedby the crank alone and without the differential action produced by theeccentric.

As soon as the crank 86 has rotated through its first one-fourthrevolution, the eccentric 87 reaches its bottom dead center. Then, asthe crank turns through another one fourth revolution and approaches itsbottom dead center position (see FIG. 12), the eccentric turns throughone-half revolution from its bottom dead center toward its top deadcenter. In so turning, the eccentric tends to shift the suction cups 44upwardly through a stroke of length 2e (FIG. 9) thereby subtracting fromthe downward motion produced by the crank and causing a resultantdownward displacement of the cups through a relatively short stroke g(FIG. 12) equal to the distance d-2e as the crank moves through itssecond one-fourth revolution. Thus, the cups move downwardly at a slowervelocity as they approach the support rails 26.

Upon passing bottom dead center and completing onehalf revolution, thecrank 86 starts shifting the cups 44 upwardly. The eccentric 87,however, again starts turning from its top dead center toward its bottomdead center and tends to shift the cups downwardly thereby againsubstracting from the motion of the crank and retarding the upwardmotion of the cups during the third one-fourth revolution of the crank.As the crank starts through its final one-fourth revolution, theeccentric once again turns from its bottom dead center toward its topdead center to add to the upward motion produced by the cups and tocause the major portion of the upstroke of the cups to occur during thefinal one fourth revolution of the crank.

Because the eccentric 87 subtracts from the motion of the crank 86 asthe latter approaches, crosses and leaves its bottom dead centerposition, very little motion is transmitted to the cups 44 as the cupscomplete their downstroke and begin their upstroke. As shown in FIGS. 12and 13, the cups and the center 0 of the eccentric move alongsubstantially flat paths m and n, respectively, as the crank turnsthrough its lowermost angle y of about 75 degrees. As the crank turnsthrough this angle, the cups are displaced only about .010 of an inch ineach direction. Thus, the cups, for all practical purposes, dwell justbeneath the upper surfaces of the rails 26 from the time a carton isplaced on the rails until after the carton is shoved out of the transferstation by the pusher 43, the upper surfaces of the cups moving belowthe upper surfaces of rails a maximum distance of only about 1 of aninch. Accordingly, the suction need not be released from the cups at theexact instant the carton is deposited on the rails, but instead, may beheld until shortly after the carton is set in place.

From the foregoing, it will be apparent that the drive mechanism 85allows a wider latitude in the timing of the release of the suction fromthe cups 44 and yet insures that the cartons 10 will not fall on therails 26 in free flight or will not be damaged by the rails as a resultof the cups pulling downwardly on the cartons after the latter reach therails. The differential action of the drive mechanism producesrelatively jerk-free motion of the cartons and this, together with thebuilt-in dwell, enhances the repeatability of the machine and results introuble-free operation. In addition, the drive mechanism is constructedin large from standard commercially available elements thus making thecost of the mechanism comparatively low.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a machine for erecting collapsible cartons, the combination of, aframe, a magazine having an open end and mounted on said frame to hold astack of cartons in flattened positions, means supporting said cartonsreleasably in said magazine, a transfer device supported on said framefor movement toward and away from said magazine and engageable with theexposed side of the terminal carton to draw the latter from saidmagazine into a transfer station, means on said frame engageable witheach carton and camming said carton in one direction into asubstantially erected position as an incident to movement of the cartoninto the transfer station, a pusher movable into and out of saidtransfer station through forward and return strokes in timed relationwith the movement of said transfer device and engageable with a cartonin said transfer station during said forward stroke to shove such cartonout of the transfer station, means positioned in said transfer stationfor holding a portion of the leading side of the carton against movementout of the transfer station during the initial period of engagement ofsaid pusher with said carton and coacting with the pusher to cam saidcarton in the same direction past said erected position toward areversely flattened position thereby to shift the carton overcenter, andsaid holding means being releasable from the leading side of said cartonafter the latter has been cammed past said erected position thereby topermit movement of the carton out of said transfer station.

2. In a machine for erecting collapsible cartons, the combination of, aframe, a magazine having an open lower end and mounted on said frame tohold an upright stack of flattened cartons, means supporting saidcartons releasably in said magazine, transfer mechanism supported onsaid frame and movable upwardly into engagement with the lower side ofthe lower carton and then downwardly to draw the carton along a downwardpath from said magazine into a transfer station, said transfer mechanism thereafter being movable laterally to shift the carton out of thetransfer station along a path extending laterally of said downward path,means located in said downward path engageable with each carton andcamming said carton in one direction into a substantially erectedposition as an incident to downward movement of the carton into thetransfer station, means located in said lateral path for holding theupper portion of the leading side of the carton and initially opposingmovement of the carton along said lateral path to cam the carton furtherin the said one direction and thereby shift the carton overcenter, andsaid holding means being releasable from the leading side of said cartonafter the latter has been shifted overcenter thereby to permit movementof the carton out of the transfer station along said lateral path.

3. In a machine for erecting collapsible rectangular cartons includingtop and bottom panels and front and rear side panels hingedly joinedtogether at their margins, the combination of, a frame, an uprightmagazine having an open lower end and mounted on said frame forreleasably holding an upright stack of cartons in flattened positions, atransfer device mounted on said frame, mechanism for moving saidtransfer device upwardly into engagement with the bottom panel of thelower carton and then downwardly to draw the carton along a downwardpath from said magazine into a transfer station with said side panelsfacing laterally, a pusher movable into and out of said transfer stationthrough forward and return strokes in timed relation with the movementof said transfer device and engageable with the lower rear edge portionof a carton in the transfer station during said forward stroke to shovesuch carton out of said transfer station along a path extendinglaterally of said downward path, a set up unit on said frame forerecting and con trolling the cartons, said unit comprising a downwardlyinclined surface projecting into said downward path toward said transferstation and engageable with the lower front edge portion of each cartonduring downward movement of the latter to cam the carton rearwardly andinto at least a partially erected position for presentation to thetransfer station, said set up unit further comprising a stop located insaid lateral path and engageable with the upper front edge portion of anerected carton in said transfer station to resist movement of suchcarton out of the transfer station and to cam said carton rearwardly andovercenter toward a reversely flattened position as an incident toinitial movement of said carton by said pusher, said stop being spacedupwardly from the bottom panel of the carton a distance substantiallyequal to the erected height of the carton thereby to permit passage ofthe carton out of said transfer station and along said lateral pathafter the carton has been cammed overcenter through a predeterminedangle and reduced in height, and a downwardly facing surface located insaid lateral path below and forwardly of said stop and engageable withthe top panel of each carton after the latter has been shiftedovercenter thereby to hold the carton in the overcenter condition duringmovement along said lateral path.

4. A machine as defined in claim 3 in which said set up unit comprises ashoe projecting into said downward and lateral paths with saiddownwardly inclined surface being formed by the upper surface of saidshoe, said stop being located below said downwardly inclined surface andbeing formed by a rounded toe on said shoe.

5. A machine as defined in claim 3 in which said stop includes a notchformed in the end of said toe between the top and bottom of the toe andspaced above the bottom panel of a carton in said transfer station adistance substantially equal to the erected height of such carton toengage and momentarily hold the upper front edge of the carton.

6. A machine as defined in claim 5 in which said downwardly facingsurface is defined by the bottom of said toe and is spaced upwardly fromthe bottom panel of a carton a distance less than the erected height ofthe carton.

7. A machine as defined in claim 6 in which said downwardly facingsurface is gradually inclined upwardly and forwardly from said toe to aheight greater than the erected height of said carton.

8. A machine as defined in claim 3 in which said pusher includes a lowerabutment for engaging the lower rear edge portion of a carton in saidtransfer station to shove the carton along said lateral path, and asurface sloping upwardly and rearwardly from said abutment for engagingthe rear panel of the carton after the latter has been shiftedovercenter.

9. A machine as defined in claim 3 in which said pusher includes a pairof upper and lower forwardly projecting jaws defining between them aforwardly opening mouth for receiving a carton in said transfer station,said lower jaw engaging the lower rear edge portion of said carton toshove the latter along said lateral path, and said upper jaw overhangingthe top panel of the carton to restrict the carton from rising upwardlyoif of said lower jaw.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS BERNARD STICKNEY, PrimaryExaminer

